BARCELONA—The parliaments of Spain and its would-be breakaway region Catalonia set dueling sessions for Friday, with Catalan legislators weighing whether to formally declare independence, and Madrid lawmakers meeting to strip away the region’s authority. Some separatist leaders are pushing to declare the wealthy northeastern Spanish region an independent republic, a move that would represent a final, defiant step before the central government moves to impose direct rule on Catalonia.

Source: Wall Street Journal October 26, 2017 17:03 UTC